Red Star

​11 years ago - 16-year-old Leonid explores a crashed alien spaceship near the Yenesi River with his archaeologist father, and is caught in it's explosion. Empowered with alien energy, he offers his services to Russia as Red Star.

​6 years ago - 21-year-old Leonid stops an invasion from the aliens who's ship had empowered him. He begins using one of their ships as his mobile base. He is appointed Protector of the State.

Red Star was the first hero to go by the name Starfire when he was first introduced in the pages of the Teen Titans, but by the time he returned to join the team the character we all know as Starfire had been introduced and was a huge fan favorite, so Leonid became Red Star.

He's a VERY cool character concept that, for some reason, has simply never been given the spotlight. It's more than just a shame, because he doesn't really do as well as a supporting character; He's clearly meant to be a headliner. Someone out there would do very well to create a Red Star: Year One book. The idea of a teenage superhero becoming the official Russian Protector of the State and defeating an alien invasion for his country just feels cool.

We've moved him from the Teen Titans into the Global Guardians where he gets to assert himself as a natural leader. We've deliberately created an element in the story where, contrary to the antagonism between their nations, Leonid & Celia begin a relationship. There's something fantastic and yet completely human about that, and we love it.